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A man was fined $5,000 at the North Kowloon Magistracy today (July 15) after pleading guilty to operating an unlicensed bedspace apartment (BSA) in Lai Chi Kok Road, Kowloon.

The Court heard that officers of the Home Affairs Department's (HAD) Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) inspected the premises on Lai Chi Kok Road on March 27. During the inspection, double-bunkers and single bed providing bedspace accommodation were found inside the premises. One of the seven woman lodgers at the scene told the officers that she paid rents for her bedspace accommodation.

The operator, also a sub-lessee, of the premises subsequently admitted that the six beds providing 12 bedspaces were for renting out, and the lodgers gave him variable rents on an irregular basis.

He was subsequently charged under Section 5(1) of the Bedspace Apartments Ordinance for operating a BSA without a valid Certificate of Exemption or a valid licence as required.

An HAD spokesman stressed that it was a criminal offence to operate or manage an unlicensed BSA.

The spokesman reiterated that unlicensed BSAs would not be tolerated and enforcement action would be taken against them to ensure the safety of lodgers.

He appealed to the public to report illegal BSAs to the OLA on 2881 7498.

End/Tuesday, July 15, 2003

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